United effort underway to help the homeless

More groups are working together

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Solutions to homelessness in Santa Barbara County are coming together in a coordinated way these days. The effort is saving taxpayers money.

The united front was put together last year when county leaders began working closer with cities, and non profit organizations so they are not duplicating their efforts.

The early results are showing more focus on those who are the most vulnerable and in need of assistance for substance abuse, health care, and housing.

The new group is called the Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness. It's made up of local leaders, non-profit officials, law enforcement, health, and housing experts.

The bulk of the $225,000 budget is coming from the county and the City of Santa Barbara.

Recently many volunteers went out, countywide, to locate the homeless, and find out what their needs are. About 1400 contacts were made. Over 900 were in Santa Barbara. Santa Maria had 300 and Lompoc has 101.

The next meeting to talk about homeless issues and upcoming projects will be February 14th.